Fire-extinguishing apparatus.



No. 680,29l. Patented Aug. l3, [90L W. M. THOMPSON'& C. NUHRING.

FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

(Application filed July 5, 1900.)

(N4 Modal.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER M. THOMPSON AND CHARLES N UHRING, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N 0. 680,291, dated August13, 1901.

Application filed July 6, 1900-. Serial No. 22,596. (N0 m l-D To (tZZwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WALTER M. THOMP- SON and CHARLES N UHRING, citizensof the United States, residing at Cincinnati, Hamil ton county, andState of Ohio, (whose post'- office addresses, respectively, areNorwood, Ohio, and No. 1345 Walnut street, Cincinnati, Ohio,) haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-ExtinguishingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to fire-extinguishing apparatus, and moreparticularly of the class employed in extinguishing incipient fires, itsobject being to improve the efficiency of such apparatus by providing ameans of charging the stream of water to a greater or less extent with achemical agent in solution, whereby its extinguishing effect isincreased.

Mechanism embodying our invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a simple form of our improvement appliedto a fire-extinguishing apparatus employing a sprinkler and adapted toautomatic action, and Fig. 2 is a slightly-modified form of the deviceembodying duplicate charging-tanks adapted to be used together oralternately.

Referring now to the drawings, A designates the water-supplyservice-pipe of a buildin g or similar structure; B, a controllingvalve,(in this case the ordinary diaphragmvalve used in connection with theautomatic sprinkler device and held by air-pressure;) O, a tankcontaining a chemical solution, and D an auxiliary tank for generatinggas-pressure, whereby the chemical liquid is forced into the dischargingstream of water.

The supplypipe A is continued onto a sprinkler device 8, (one or more,)fitted with a fusible cap in the usual manner of such constructions.This portion of the device is constructed and operates in the usualmanner, whereby the heat fuses the cap of the sprinkler, relieves thecounter-pressure of air, and opens the controlling-valve B to the flowof Water to and through the sprinkler.

The tank 0 contains a solution of chemical agentssuch as salt,sal-ammoniac, &c.--and is connected below with the supply-pipe A at thedischarge side of the valve B by a pipe connection a, fitted with acontrolling-valve 12. At the top the tank 0 is connected with thepressure-tank D by a connection d and contains a quantity of liquidhaving an alkaline gas-producing element in solution and a bottle d, ofacid, held in a suitable cage or support adapting it to be released andits contents discharged upon occasion by the action of a tripping device(1 The operating-handles of the valve 1) and of the tripping device dare normally held in closed position by a wire or cord 0, attached toboth and held to a point of support by a fusible linko, located in theimmediate vicinity of the sprinkling device 5 and its fusible cap. Atthe lower end of the cord is attached a weight 20, which is thus upheldby the fusible link 0 The operation in the case of the apparatus justdescribed is as follows: The link a and the sprinkler s, with itsfusible cap, being located close together, are both fused or softened byheat. The latter releases the airpressure and opens the valve B to theflow of Water in the supply-pipe A. The former releases the weight 10,which being similarly at tached to the valve 1) and the tripping deviced acts to release the weight, and thus break the bottle (2, of acid, inthe alkaline liquid of auxiliary tankD and also to open the connection abetween the tank 0 and the pipe A. The mingling of acid with the liquidcontents of the auxiliary tank D generates or releases a gas, which atonce flows over into the tank 0 and by its pressure forces the chemicalsolution therein contained into the pipe A and charges the water issuingfrom the sprinkler s.

In the form of the device shown in Fig. 2 the automatic features areomitted. The tank O and connection aare shown duplicated,

and in lieu of the sprinkler s a hose connection 8 is employed. Thebottle-breaking device d is operated by hand, and suitable valves e eallow the gas to be thrown into one or both of the tanks, as desired, orallow one to be refilled while the other is in use. Though the contentsof the bottle (1' are released by breaking the latter, it is apparentthat this function can be otherwise secured.

We claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States The combination with a water-service pipe, sure into. theWater-supply, substantially as supplying a distributing device such asaset forth. a v sprinkler or hose, 650., of a tank connected to Intestimony whereof we have hereunto set said supply-pipe and adapted tocontain a our hands in presence of two subscribing wit 5 chemicalsolution, an auxiliary tank and denessesi vices for generating therein agas, connec- WALTER M. THOMPSON; tions between said tanks fortransferring said CHARLES NUHRING. gas-pressure, and suitablecontrolling-Valves WVitnesses:

to govern the conjoint action and inject said CHAS. HERBERT JONES,

1o chemical solution by means of said gas-pres- WALTER A. KNIGHT.

